Dissemination of information and education

The eco-pedagogical garden is an initiative of the University of Education in Karlsruhe on its own site. Its goal is to provide a space for hands-on learning for university students about sustainable development, biodiversity and ecosystems. Based on that, they develop ideas about how to implement such gardens in schools and how to best teach future schoolchildren about these issues. About 120 university students participate in this coursework which forms an integral part of their studies, learn about efficient gardening and how to organize and administer school gardening activities. Apart from the vegetable garden, the garden has a biotope, nature and wilderness area which serves as a sanctuary for birds & small mammals and wild bees. (Ref. 2 and 3).

The Leeds Parks and Green Space Strategy is a park protection, improvement, and creation program in Leeds under their Cultural Strategy. Main priorities are set out to achieve a vision where good quality and accessible parks and green spaces are at the heart of the community and meet the needs of everyone who lives, works, visits or invests in Leeds, now and for the future (Ref 5). The Parks and Green Space Strategy looks at the contribution made to priorities nationally and locally, and how it fits within the Leeds Cultural Strategy to develop parks and green spaces (Ref 3). Consultation is being undertaken to develop a vision for the future of Leeds City Council owned and managed public parks and green spaces beyond 2020, and a strategy for how to deliver that vision over the next 10 years. The new strategy will replace the previous strategy which runs to 2020 (Ref 9).

The municipality initiated to realize a healthy and climate-proof 'city island' which includes a large variety of projects, including the City Island Park Tour, which is a cycling/walking tour around the island that includes multiple green-blue infrastructure elements along two canals. Together it can be recognized as a large city park (ref. 2, 6). The tour contains the sights of green banks, recreation possibilities, bridges and boulevard-ways, thereby promoting environmental quality, mobility and attractiveness of the area (ref. 6). A food park at Leeuwensteyn is envisioned for 2050 (ref. 7).

As part of the “Landscape Park Rhine”, a key project of the Karlsruhe Master Plan 2015, the city of Karlsruhe implemented the “Park Maxau” project module, which is the most important element of the larger landscape project. (Ref. 3) The “Park Maxau” is a park within an agricultural area which with its new leaseholders, has mostly been converted into ecological agricultural fields and grazing areas. (Ref. 3) Major goals were linking green corridors with the Pamina Rhine park, creating a connected recreational area and enhancing ecological diversity. The “Rhine Promenade” pedestrian route, Rhine terraces and a children’s playground were created, a visitor guidance system was introduced, and an estate was revived as a restaurant. During the 17-month development process, citizens were given the opportunity to offer their ideas and suggestions about the project through internet surveys, interviews and a citizens' conference. (Ref. 6) The area has become a hotspot for ecological agriculture, environmental education and recreation (Ref. 10).

The Humberhead Peatlands are the UK's largest lowland raised bog complex and are part of the Natura 2000 network. They are located East of Doncaster and include the Thorne Moors and the Hatfield Moors (both towns are part of the Doncaster Borough). Commercial peat extraction has changed the hydraulic balance of the area, which impacts the condition of the peatland. This project aims to restore the water balance and thereby the peatland that can help prevent flooding, which is a breeding ground for the European nightjar, while also creating local jobs. The Humberhead Peatlands LIFE+ project completed its delivery phase in June 2019. (Ref 2, 3)

"The garden was created in 2012 with the Parenthesis Association. The association closed in 2015. In January 2016 a group of gardeners decided to create a new association to continue their garden, that is when the gardens of Fontgiève were born. In the garden one discusses, one shares, one exchanges, one helps one, one gives oneself advice. The garden produces much more than vegetables and fruits; Ideas germinate there, sharing them is collective intelligence" (Ref.1).

The BEIGUA LIFE Project focused on the development and implementation of six management plans, one for each of the priority habitat types present at the site, to safeguard and restore these endangered habitats located right outside of Genova. Several activities of soil rehabilitation were carried out through planting native species and keeping under control invasive plant species. An awareness raising campaign was held to involve local communities as well (1).

In light of the LIFE P.A.R.C. project, the NBS here presented consisted in the restoration of the fluvial and ecological continuity of the Magra and Vara rivers in the Montemarcello-Magra Regional Natural Park. The intervention implemented the removal of artificial barriers blocking the water continuity currently affecting biodiversity conservation. In the meantime, several activities implemented focused on restoring the area along the stream with the creation of walking paths and the use of signs to spread environmental awareness about the key habitat provision services of the area (1).

Neptune Grass or Mediterranean tapeweed (Posidonia oceanica) is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. This priority seagrass species forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the marine ecosystem. However, there have been declines in its population due to mechanical damage, coastal development and eutrophication.
The main objective of the intervention was to safeguard and to restore 2 Natura 2000 network sites for the conservation of P.oceanica habitat in the Lazio region(1), being the NBS intervention the restoration/protection of the underwater meadows and the improvement of the awareness/importance of this marine habitat type, a priority for conservation(EU Habitats Directive).

The oasis is one of the favourite destinations especially by naturalist photographers of the region, thanks to the presence of numerous animal and plant species. The oasis covers an area of about 20 hectares, is part of a SIC and ZPS area of 40 hectares and its management has been entrusted to the Noale WWF Cave Oasis Committee. It used to be a clay extraction area that got abandoned for several years. It was restored to create a new wild habitat that the local government declared a protected area (1, 2 and 4).